On the road from Perugia to Vasto
Someone read some USA news off their phone
Three k**ed in Lafayette, Louisiana in a movie theater
Another f**ed-up day in America
Then we looked out to the left at the Adriatic Sea
Then we listened to Sonic Youth's first record and Bob Marley and Tenacious D's 'The Pick Of Destiny'
Beautiful hotel last night, my room looked over the pool
And I said good morning at around 11 a.m. to Macha and Neil
And now it's late at night in Vasto and from my hotel I hear cars along the highway
And some noise from down below an Italian wedding that won't go away
It's like a sauna here and we took a cold Jacuzzi and no airports today
These last few drives have been beautiful fields of sunflowers along the way
I picked some Roma tomatoes from a farmer's garden and I ate them in the van
I invited a child up on stage and I sang while I held her little hand
Told her to quit eating sweets, they were bad for her teeth
took the gum from her hand and put a piece in my mouth and it was really sweet
I invited some guys up on stage 'cause they had ants in their pants
and to 'This Is My First Day And I'm Indian And I Work At The Gas Station' they danced and they danced
We played 'The Weeping Song' for Nick Cave and his family
The pa**ing of his son's been a daily thing on my mind since arriving at Heathrow and my guitarist told me
Now the cars keep rolling down the highway
And the guys are out at the festival watching James Blake
But I got a ride back, would have stuck around if I was still 28
But I'm older now and I can't handle being out that late
And that's an account of my last few days
Oh yeah and I saw a skinny black cat by the sea and I called for him and he dashed away
That's an account of my last few days
And Macha took photos of us by the sea and we laughed and then we played
That's an account of my last few days
And I made the promoter put the barricades closer to the stage
And that's an account of my last few days
I've been doing 40 push-ups and 150 sit-ups every single day
And that's an account of my last few days
We ate cheese pizza late at night in a wine cellar, then we got in our van and we drove away
Today we all had a nice dinner with our driver Francesco
I asked him “how many cups of coffee did you drink today?” and he said “many many many many cappuccinos”
And a group of fans came into the restaurant and their eyes popped out of their heads
I asked them to join us and we shook all of their hands
And they sat down and at the same time they all said "wow"
And the waiter explained every type of pasta the restaurant had in great detail
One looked like a bow tie and one looked like a wheel
We all had a nice dinner me and the band and the fans and Macha and Neil
Then we all went out to the sea, a rare day off for the band and me
And I went so far out until I could no longer feel the sand under my feet
And I dove down I touched the bottom, then swam back to the shore, soaked up the sun
Then came back to my hotel room, red as a lobster
And there were a ton of e-mails, mostly business
But there's one that really touched me
that was forwarded to me by Robert, my publicist
From a girl named Tania, OK I'm gonna read it here in just a minute
“Hi Robert,
This is just a thank you note to Sun Kil Moon after a truly memorable gig in Manchester. I'm hoping you can
pa** it on.
I've never done this before, written a letter to people I admire before. But having seen you play at the RNCM
in Manchester last week I really just wanted to say thank you.
I've loved the sound of your voice Mark since the mid 90's when I first heard 'Grace Cathedral Park' at 17 it really hit me. The tone of your voice, the sadness of your lyrics, and it felt real and honest.
Whilst I suppose I've digged in and out of your music as people tend to do, but the recent years of Sun Kil Moon have pulled me right back in, and my car journeys are usually accompanied by one or another of your
albums.
I've always wanted to see you play live, but I've always heard too late about the few gigs you've played in
England, so the Manchester gig was a big deal for me, the type of “one day I'll get to hear” thoughts you
have and hope will happen.
I've seen so many of my musical loves in the last 38 years and you were one of the few outstanding, but one
of the most important.
I also got to share it with my husband and my baby growing inside of me, who reacted with lots of kicks and
movement, which made it even more personal for me.
When I closed my eyes at the concert and listened, it's not so much that it took me back, as the music has
moved on and is even more honest and raw I suppose. But your voice was undoubtedly the same, no
gimmicks, just the tone which hasn't changed over the years. It was beautiful, that is, the harmonies with the band, the atmosphere you all created, and how it just felt so special throughout.
So I just wanted to say thank you all. It touched my soul and inspired me, as only good music can do.
I'm sure you get lots of these messages and they probably lose their significance for you over time and if so,that's fine, natural even I guess as the years have pa**ed.
But in case it lifts your spirits or gives you any form of pride in what you've collectively achieved, I wanted you to know THANK YOU.
Tania from Sheffield, England”